Tag Archives: Men’s Health Week

Leading up to Father’s Day and as part of National Men’s Health Week, the American Cancer Society is raising awareness about risk factors for cancer in men. Among the cancer threats men face, prostate cancer is particularly lethal. In fact, it is the 2nd most deadly cancer for American men behind lung cancer. This year alone in the United States, an estimated 233,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 29,480 men will die from the disease. Prostate cancer is also one of the most costly forms of cancer, with $11.9 billion spent on treatment each year in the US.

Despite these grim statistics, significant progress has been made in the area of prostate cancer research. Geneticists have identified mutations in the “HOXB13” gene as a cause of early-onset prostate cancer and certain protein markers have been found to be correlated with how much the cancer will spread. Advances in detection methods are making early diagnosis easier and more accurate. It is hoped that a new laboratory test currently in clinical trials will lead to fewer false positives and false negatives. Continue reading →